LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

The transparency tally 

Credit:  By Shay Totten, Seven Days, www.7dvt.com 17 August 2011 ~~

When Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law changes to Vermont’s public-records law – making it easier for citizens to see the inner workings of state government – he said his administration’s role was to “take care of Vermonters, not hide things from Vermonters,” and to create a “transparent, open government that lets people know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

Sounds great, right?

The gov may need to repeat that quote to some of his appointees, particularly the folks at the Agency of Natural Resources – an agency led by former Secretary of State Deb Markowitz, whose previous job was to oversee the state’s public-records law.

ANR is refusing to release more than 500 emails, and countless other documents, that the agency exchanged with Green Mountain Power between January and July.

ANR staff claim the records must be kept secret because the documents pertain to a mitigation agreement between ANR and GMP that is part of an ongoing legal proceeding. The February agreement spells out how much land GMP must buy and conserve to offset the environmental impact of its 21-turbine wind project on Lowell Mountain.

ANR general counsel Jon Groveman and Shumlin’s chief legal counsel Beth Robinson argue that since the agreement is being reviewed before the quasijudicial Public Service Board, and any decisions could be appealed, it’s too soon to go public.

“Until the appeal period runs, we view the matter as being in litigation,” Robinson explained. Once any legal proceedings are over, Groveman and Robinson say the emails and other correspondence will likely be released.

How convenient. By the time the appeals process runs out, all 21 turbines could be up and running.

For now, ANR and Shumlin’s office are offering very few emails about the deal – and have rejected a request to release more than a dozen emails between Robert Dostis, GMP’s external affairs manager, and several key Shumlin aides, from the weeks leading up to the February agreement.

Dostis told “Fair Game” he first reached out to Shumlin’s Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs, Alex MacLean, in January to set up a meeting between ANR Secretary Markowitz and top GMP officials – including GMP CEO Mary Powell.

“This was just our attempt to get everyone in the same room and for us to ask, ‘What do we need to do to get your approval?’” said Dostis. “The real details of the agreement happened at the staff level. However, I wasn’t directly involved in those negotiations.”

Since Dostis wasn’t involved, you’d think Team Shumlin would release their communications with the administration, right? Wrong. Emails between Dostis and MacLean, and Dostis and Groveman, have been deemed off limits.

Asked for a complete list of the confidential records, Groveman said ANR would charge as much as $1200 for the goods.

Didn’t realize freedom of information could be so pricey.

Annette Smith, of Vermonters for a Clean Environment, received a comparable price quote. Smith has wrangled more embarrassing public documents from regulators in her day than have most full-time Vermont journalists.

“I’m appalled. I’ve been doing this for 12 years and I’ve never seen anything like this – we’ve never been [refused] information about agreements and permits before,” said Smith. “ANR is acting as though GMP is their client – or vice versa. It’s hard to tell just who is representing whom. But they certainly don’t seem to be representing the public.”

Source:  By Shay Totten, Seven Days, www.7dvt.com 17 August 2011

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon